Things were different at work that day, and I still couldn’t wrap my mind around it. Christopher flirted with me. I was absolutely sure of it, unless I was totally off my game, but my face warmed thinking about the look he gave me before I walked to my car. Stop. We hate him.
Do I though? Do I hate him anymore?
I groaned and gripped the steering wheel tighter as I drove to Fritz’s place. There was too much going on for me to worry about feelings for a guy who had been a total jerk to me. Not when Samantha was sneaking around and threatening to come back into our lives. She should have my focus, and that was how I convinced myself to not think about Christopher. Fritz was still in a funk, and it was my duty as his sister and best friend to help him out of it.
I parked my silver BMW outside his condo, locked the doors, and made my way upstairs to find him in a mood. “Dude, why are you grumpy?”
He frowned at me before plopping back down on the couch with his tie undone and his face set in hard lines. “Six months. She walked away without more than a this is over text and disappears for six months. Why is she liking my posts now? Why is she in town now? I don’t fucking understand, and I hate it. I thought I was doing fine, but as soon as I see her liking my shit online, it all comes back.”
My stomach churned like I’d ridden a roller coaster a million times, and I forced my face to remain neutral as guilt made speaking almost impossible. I cleared my throat and grabbed a pillow to hug it against my chest. “Do you…still love her?”
“No.” His eyes were hard and dark, and his jaw was tight. “I don’t, but I was going to propose to her and pictured the rest of my life with her. That is still raw and makes me never want to try again. It’s hard enough to find someone as is, but once they find out about our money, it’s even worse. Thank God our court case was out of town. I can’t even imagine living here and having every fucking person know about our wealth.” He rubbed the back of his neck.
It was like a thousand-pound weight had formed in my stomach and held me down. The sadness, six months later, was exactly why I couldn’t do love. It’s why dating and having flings were safer, easier, than ever falling for someone. Our money would always attract the wrong people.
Especially when Samantha fooled both of us so damn well when it was a con the whole time.
Would it hurt worse for him to know it was all about money? That he was a job? Or would it help him move on? My throat hurt at my lack of response, and I took a deep breath. “You can’t…let her ruin any chance at happiness.”
He scoffed. “Forgive me for not trusting someone anytime soon. God, she just ghosted me. No reason why after telling me she loved me. I just…it fucking hurts, and I thought I’d be okay by now.”
I have to help him. I had done this, and it was my duty to help him.
“Okay, new plan.” I got my phone out and started searching for free singles events in the area. Larissa always talked about this buddy night at a swanky brewery where people went to make friends, but they also had singles night. “We are going out tonight,” I said, using my sternest voice. “You will not argue with me.”
“But what about your budget, Gil?” he fired back, smirking like he’d one-upped me.
“How dare you insinuate I can’t flirt for free drinks? I still have some charm.”
He laughed, and the sound calmed me down and reassured me that maybe paying off Samantha, twice now, wouldn’t send me straight to hell. “Fine, whatever. Maybe it’s better to get out of this place. I swear all I’ve done is work, see you, or pout. I’m sick of myself.”
“Fritz, you will be okay and find love again.”
He rolled his eyes. “I’m not looking for love again. It’s not for me. I don’t like the dependency or the power it gives someone to destroy you. So hard pass, thanks. But a fling? Yeah. I could do that. Relive my college days.”
I forced a tight smile. It was one thing that I felt that way, but for him…no, that wouldn’t do. He had the biggest heart and deserved all the happiness in the world. He had been my, and Grace’s, rock for years, and despite his insistence on being carefree, Fritz loved hard. Samantha couldn’t ruin that for him. “Fix your tie. I found a thing to go to.”
“A thing?”
“Yes, I’ll tell you once we’re there.”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “Your tone tells me I won’t like this thing.”
“Don’t care if you do or not. You’re going.” I stood up and dragged his ass to my car where I drove him to the brewery about two miles from his place downtown.
His only reaction to the singles night was a long sigh, and the fact he didn’t fight me had to be a good sign. He ran his hands over his thighs, and if I had to guess, my brother was nervous. It made my chest tight seeing him without his over-the-top confidence.
I parked, and two beautiful women walked arm in arm into the large wooden doors.
Fritz sat up straighter, and the playful expression I had seen way too many times in college returned. “The only reason I’m not bolting out of this car is because I wanted to try this place out.”
“Uh-huh, it had nothing to do with those babes.”
“Not a thing.” He smirked and got out, the tight feeling in my chest loosening at seeing him be playful again. He was always the goofy, overprotective flirt around Grace and me. He was always there for us and in a good mood and looking for a good time, and I missed this version of him, where I was torn between rolling my eyes or elbowing him in the side.
I joined him inside, where we signed our names on a clipboard and got a red wristband. It let others know we were there for the event and not just the beer. A handsome man with tattoos and long hair played the guitar in the corner, and couples lined both sides of the beer hall.
“I’m going to find that hot ass—lovely woman I saw walk in.”
“I knew it,” I said, smiling as he winked.
He smoothed down his shirt and headed toward the pair of women and I sighed, suddenly feeling nervous. This was about Fritz and now that he was occupied, I realized I would be required to talk and flirt too. It’d be great to have a distraction, but the last time I was at a bar, in a mood to flirt, I left with Christopher, which for whatever reason made him hate me.
How would he act if we never had that night together? Would we be friends? Flirt? I frowned, imagining a world where we got along and how good that sounded.
“Okay, singles! We’re going to do some pairing up and start some convos.” A soft female voice rang out over the portable speaker, and everyone seemed to stop talking at the same time. “First thing—raise your hand, and the first person you make eye contact is your partner for this activity. Once you see someone, high-five them!”
I fought the urge to roll my eyes because this felt like a classroom thing, but I did as told and met the gaze of a man who was about my height and had bright-red hair. “Hi, I’m Gilly.”
“Steven,” he said, shaking my hand with a very sweaty palm. He blushed from head to toe, and a part of me felt a little bad for him. “You’re beautiful.”
“Oh, thank you.” I smiled, feeling ten shades of awkward, and wanted this round to be over. The emcee gave us the prompt, and I went first. “I teach first grade, my favorite activity on the weekends is to read or hang out with friends, and I drink tea every day.”
“Wow, a teacher, yes, you look like one. Uh, I work in finance, I like hanging out, and I love beer and coffee. Yes.” He gulped and looked over his right shoulder to another guy who seemed to be hamming it up with a woman.
“Okay, we’re going to do this activity again, but this time, you’re going to share three fun facts about yourself and what you look for in a partner.”
We lifted our hands in the air, and I turned to my left, thankful to be rid of Steven, and as I spun, my skin tingled and my heart beat twice as fast as I stared into a pair of very blue eyes. Christopher. Excitement and lust combined into weird hyperadrenaline, and we both seemed to walk faster to each other. He grabbed my hand in a high five and didn’t let go as our arms came down.
“Hey,” I said, smiling and feeling nervous as hell. Which was stupid. I saw him all the damn time.
“Hey yourself,” he said, his gaze warm and tender as he stared at my face. “This is a fun coincidence.”
“Why are you here?” I asked, not caring that it was none of my business.
“Well, my buddy got out of a bad divorce and needed a pick-me-up. Thought this was a good place to have him try. You?”
He still held my hand, and I focused on his mouth instead of how good a simple hand-holding felt. It was sweet and nice, and the way he dragged his thumb over the outside of my hand made my toes curl into my shoes. “Uh, well, my brother. He’s been in a funk, and I thought…this would help him.”
“Ah, small world then.” He smiled again, letting his gaze drop to my mouth for a beat. “We should follow the prompts and be good participants, don’t you think?”
“Right, of course.”
His answering grin made my face get hot because oh baby, his smile lit up his face and made him a million times more attractive. Not that he wasn’t handsome, because he was, but the joy on his face felt special, and I could only stare at him when he looked at me like that. “What? You have this weird expression right now.”
“Your smile makes you beautiful,” I said, not caring that I sounded dorky. My face turned into an inferno, and I shifted my weight back and forth and looked at the ground. “Anyway, before I say something embarrassing, three fun facts about me…uh…I like tea over coffee, I’ve always wanted a tattoo of an apple, but every time I try to get it, I chicken out, and I once won artist of the month in third grade.”
Christopher let out a deep chuckle, still holding my hand, and said, “The next part of the question.”
“What was that?”
“What do you look for in a partner?”
“Oh.” I studied him for a bit, taking in his long lashes and strong cheekbones. This felt too personal for me, for us, for the moment, and panic clawed its way down my body. I didn’t want to be serious or intense, I wanted a distraction. “Size. Size definitely matters to me.”
His brows drew together for a second before he burst out laughing. “Size of their heart, right?”
“Exactly what I was referring to,” I teased, absolutely loving this new playful side of him that I finally got to witness. “What else could I have meant?”
“Size of their bank account, size of their feet, you know, the usual.”
We smiled at each other for a full minute, my stomach swooping out of control with the heated look from him, and I nudged him with my free hand because he still held on to my other one. “Your turn.”
“Hm, okay. Fun facts. I would usually go with I’m a teacher, I have a younger sister, and I’m a diehard Cubs fan, but you seem to know all those.”
“Yeah, I shared original ones, you didn’t.”
“Not so original. I already knew you liked tea because I smell the citrus flavor every time you walk by me. I can’t smell an orange and not think of you.” One side of his mouth quirked up, and the slow way he said it made my chest feel funny.
“Oh.”
“You need to give me a new one if we’re going to be original.”
“Fair,” I said, blowing out a breath because the harder I tried to be fun and flirty, he kept making it more. “I don’t like dinner dates.”
He froze and lines appeared on his forehead. “Why?”
“Nope. Your turn.” I removed my hand from his and placed mine on my hips. “Don’t avoid it.”
He rubbed the back of his neck as someone bumped into him, and a beautiful brunette put a hand on his forearm and apologized, and he didn’t do more than glance at her for a second. “It’s all right,” he said, moving his intense gaze back on me, and it sent a weird thrill through me.
I arched one brow and pretended to look at my wrist. “Time’s ticking, Callahan.”
“Fun facts about me. I think barbeque is overrated, I won the spelling bee in junior high two years in a row, and I once lost a bet with a buddy and have a tattoo showcasing it.”
“No way! Where is it?”
“Ah, that will have to be for another time.” He stepped closer to me, and I sucked in a breath, smelling his subtle cologne and forgetting all the reasons why I disliked him. “Family is important to me, and I need to be with someone who understands that, who will do anything to help their family out.” His gaze moved from me to Fritz in the corner, and while we both cared for our family, guilt made my stomach cramp at exactly how far I would go to help Fritz.
“I agree,” I said, my voice a little unsteady as I placed a hand on his chest. He was so hard and warm and close. He took a deep breath and his nostrils flared, the look in his eyes mirroring the heat coursing throughout my body.
“Okay, we’re switching partners! Hands up, people. Hands up!” the emcee said, making me jump a foot away from Christopher. His answering smirk unsettled me.
Was he enjoying this game? Was this a joke for him to get me worked up? I wasn’t sure, and I pushed my hair behind my ears and stood up taller. “Best of luck tonight,” I said, winking to try to balance the scales. “I hope you really find a connection.”
“I’ll let you walk away this time, Carter,” he said, not looking put-off by my comment. If anything, he lit up and smiled wider at me. He ran his tongue over his bottom lip, and I trailed the movement for a second before slamming my eyes shut.
Attraction didn’t mean trust, and trust didn’t mean safety. Fritz’s laughter carried over from where he chatted with two different women, and his situation with Samantha was the dose of reality I needed. Love wasn’t for everyone, and I never wanted to be in his position—ever.
I just needed to ignore this zing with Christopher. That was all.